D 639 
.04 U5 
1920b 
Copy 1 



Concerning Return of Bodies of American Soldiers 
Who Died Abroad 



LETTER OF 
THE SECRETARY OF WAR 



10 



Hon. J. W. WADSWORTH, Jr. 

Chairman Committee on Military Affairs 
United States Senate 




10 '"26 i/ ir 6 




WASHINGTON 
GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFI 
1920 



MAV 



19 1920 



'Lulus' 

AVar Depart^ient, 

Wmhhifjfon, D. ('., March 11, 1^^20. 
Hon. J. W. Wadsworth, Jr., 

Committee on Milltat'ij A^a'u's^ United States /Senate. 

My Dear Senator: In compliance with your reqnest of March 5 I 
take pleasure in giving herewith the information in general which 
yon have asked with reference to the question of returning to United 
States the bodies of American soldiers noAV buried abroad. 

It is not possible at this moment to locate a copy of the French law 
of 29th December, 1915, with regard to the acquisition of cemeterial 
sites, the full text not having been included in the registrati(jn records 
shipped from France, but I am inclosing herewith a resume of the 
same Avhich will probably give to 3'ou the particular points which you 
may have under consideration. 

Concentration of hodies. — During the heat of battle and the rapid 
movement of contending armies many bodies were necessarily buried 
in isolated locations and in sections where future maintenance was 
impossible. The Graves Kegistration Service, falling heir to these 
unsatisfactory conditions, took the initiative in attempting salvage of 
bodies, and their concentration in places where suitable maintenance 
might be assured. Practicall}' 40,000 bodies have Ijeen so transferred, 
some 10,000 isolated graves having been removed in one battle area 
alone. Xo direction has been given concerning the permanency of 
these concentration cemeteries, but it is undoubtedly due to the fore- 
thought and energetic action of the Quartermaster Corps and its 
Graves Registration Service that many bodies of the dead whic]i were 
in danger of loss may be returned to their homes. 

Project of removal. — Three distinct projects of removal have had 
to be considered, owing to the fact that the consent of foreign (to\-- 
ernments has been and is being progressively secured and no author- 
ization has yet been received for the disposition of the entire li^^t of 
American dead overseas. 

The first project involves removals from all countries ouyide of 
France, and orders Avere given by this office to immediate]/ under- 
take the same. Under this order removals have been ii^de from 
Siberia ; 111 bodies have been removed from the Archaiftel district 
in north Eussia, the work having been suspended befoi/ its comple- 
tion l^ecause of distui'bance in that country Avhich mad/^i^i'ther work 
at this time impossible. One hundred and eleven bcrf*^ still remain 
in north Russia, and it is probable that nothing (V '^c done toward 
their removal for a period of one year, or such y^^ '^^ conditions ii^. 
Russia shall become more normal. ■ 

169451°— 20 (3) 



The evacuiitioii of Gerniui\y is to be undertaken at once, the officer 
in charge of the zone of mid-Europe having- completed phins therefor. 
In Great Britaiji there are 92 places in Avhich our dead are in- 
terred. EA'acuatioiis are now taking place in the southern part of 
that zone. Eighteen Iwdies have been returned from several ceme- 
teries in south England and advices are immediately expected as to 
the shipment of a much h.irger consignment from other cemeteries 
in that area. 

In Italy all bodies have been concentrated in one place, and the 
matter of their transfer to the States Avill be easily effected. 

The second })roject of removal, for whicli authority was subse- 
quently obtained, involves the French zone of the interior, including 
all the base and intermediate sections back of the battle areji. It 
was first intended to begin work at Paris, the cemetery at Suresnes, 
a suburb of that city, having been recommended as a permanent 
cemetery, so that as other cemeteries are closed it might be possible 
to remove bodies that are to remain in France to Suresnes for per- 
manent interment, but the congestion of French railways has been 
such that it has thus far been impossible to obtain transportation 
inland, and the necessary caskets and personnel have Jjeen trans- 
ferred to Brest, where the latter is now operating, with the expecta- 
tion that Ave shall very early receive advices of the shipment of 
bodies from that legion. Should the railway congestion continue 
thereafter, it will l)e the policy to shift operations to other ports 
and operate in such cemeteries as may be contiguous thereto, where 
motor transportation may be utilized for the shorter distance in- 
volved in getting bodies to the port of shipnient, to which ocean 
transportation can be diverted as required. 

The third })roject of removal will become operative so soon as the 
Government of France shall have agreed to recommendations rela- 
tive to evacuation from the zone of the armies, which are to be sub- 
mitted by an international council appointed for the comprehensive 
study of the question affecting allied dead interred within that zone. 
So far as the Ameiican Government is concerned nothing can be 
done lolative to this phases of the question until conclusions have 
been rea^-hed by the French Government itself. 

The general work of removals to the United States involves in 
brief the Idlowing preparatory action : 

The small force of the Graves Registration Service, left in France 
after the wori of demobilization, was slightly increased so as to pro- 
vide sufficient (ffieial and civilian personnel to attend to the work of 
perfecting and n.ij^taining our cemeteries, which had been previouslj' 
reduced ])y coucei vation in number from 2,400 to about GOO. The 
force already tlierii^^^g since been augmented by the dispatch of 
about 15 additional (>Vers and upwards of 260 graduated personnel 



i ^ 



of directiA'e capacity, and the officer iu cliar^e lias l)een ^iven full 
autliority to employ all necessary labor for the prosecution of his 
work. Further personnel of graduated character ^Yill he sent so 
soon as requisitions are made by the officer in charge in Europe. 
Preparations have already been made for the execution of this plan. 

Seventeen thousand caskets have already been purchased, but the 
shortage of materials for manufacture has caused vexatious delay 
in their delivery. In addition to those already shipped to Europe 
3,000 will be forwarded during the month of March and 5.000 dur- 
ing April and each month thereafter until the contract is completed. 
Anticipating the possibility of French consent to the evacuation of 
the battle areas designated as the zone of the armies, the Quarter- 
master General has been making an exhaustive stucly of the sources 
of procurement, with a view to placing an order, at the earliest pos- 
sible date, for the necessary number of caskets to complete the entire 
work of removing all bodies in Europe from the places where they 
are now interred, and transferring the same either to their homes or 
to such place as may ultimately be selected, in addition to Suresnes 
for a permanent cemetery in France. 

Motor transportation has been secured from a variety of sources to 
meet the entires requisitions for the same by the officer in charge in 
Europe, and ample requisitions have been prepared for further pro- 
curement from existing supplies to be filled so soon as advices are 
received from him as to additional needs and points of desired 
delivery. 

The graduated j)ersonnel referred to above includes (jualified em- 
balmers, who are to supervise sanitary arrangements and insure the 
most approved professional preparation of bodies for retuin to their 
homes. 

The personal requests from relatives indicate that practically 70 
per cent of the dead are to be returned to their homes (about 50,000 
in all), and with about 20,000 or 25,000 to remain permanently in- 
terred abroad. 

An estimate of the probable cost of this project can be only tenta- 
tive at this time, but it is likely to involve a minimum expense of 
$500 in each case where a body is to be returned to the home of the 
next of kin, and probably $200 or $250 in connection with the per- 
manent interment in a field of honor abroad. It is believed that a 
minimum appropriation of $30,000,000 will be required for the com- 
pletion of the work. The sundry civil bill for the current year con- 
tains an appropriation of $8,451,000, at least $0,000,000 having been 
already required for existing projects, contracts and the above-men- 
tioned provision foi' additional caskets for the zone of the armies. It 
is requested tliat the amount appropriated in the sundry civil bill for 
the current year may be niade a continuing appropriation and that 



there may Ije mldeil liieieto ii i'uither uiipiopriatioii to cover the 
balance of the 5t;H(M)()(),<J00 herein i^iijurge.sled. 

iJlehlort of ten ttoii/. — Three zones have been created in Europe. 
First, the zone of (ireat Britain with headquarters at London, com- 
prising three sections, with boundary lines running from east to Avest. 
Second, the zone of mid-Europe, comprising all the continental 
countries outside of France and having headquarters at Cochem. t 

Third, the zone of France. This zone practically covers two large 
areas, one of which involves the extensive work of cemeterial main- I 

tenance at the north, and the other covers the area of evacuations, 'f 

which are innnediately to be made from the rear section. The centi-al | 

office of the zone of France is in Paris and Col. Rethers, the officer ! 

in charge in that country, is employing there a sufficient clerical force 
for the dispatch of ])Usiness. 

The chief of the Graves Kegistration Service is at the head of a 
new division of the Q%iartermaster General's Office, and is directing 
a large clerical force, which is engaged in the work of reconciling 
conflicting reports, completing identifications which have hitherto ^ 

been in doubt, and working out from the great mass of diverse and I 

even conflicting re<iuests from relatives the necessary data i!})on 
which the return of l)odies may be effected. 
Sincerely, yours, 

(Signed) Newton D. Baker, 

Secretory of ^S'ar. 



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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



020 914 262 4 M 



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920b 
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LIBRARY OF CONGRESSi 



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